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A full year since the last DerbyWheel news update
It gives Global Keirin no pleasure whatsoever to note that today marks exactly one year since the last ‘news‘ article was posted on the DerbyWheel website. Regular readers will know we watch closely for any signs of life. CEO James Pope posted a video message on the homepage last June, confirming that there would be…
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Work continues on DerbyWheel, says CEO
James Pope included the pro keirin series at the top of a list of projects he is working on in 2025
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DerbyWheel CEO presents branded race helmet
We wouldn’t normally get excited over a single photograph, posted in a ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ Instagram story, on a personal account. But with the DerbyWheel organisation having gone silent for weeks, if not months, it’s a major event to see CEO James Pope posting a photograph this evening of a piece of actual equipment…
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Faced by Korean challenge, speed skating launches a new World Tour
DerbyWheel is the successor initiative to IceDerby, a plan by the same Korean investors to transform the sport of speed skating, by offering game-changing prize money fuelled by gambling receipts. IceDerby faced opposition from the sport’s governing body, which ultimately ended up in a case before the Court of Justice of the European Union. In…
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Japanese keirin success at Worlds: an opportunity to expand the sport?
It has taken a little longer than they had hoped; but Japan’s investment in international track cycling is beginning to produce results. French sprint coach Benoît Vêtu was appointed head coach of the Japanese national track team in 2016, following successful spells in Russia and China. His objective? To deliver medals at their home Olympics…
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Former world champion Büchli hints at DerbyWheel move
Former world keirin champion Matthijs Büchli says he has given up his attempt to transition from track specialist to road rider, with DerbyWheel looking like his most likely destination after an extended holiday with his family. The 31-year-old won the keirin at the 2019 world championships in Pruszków, Poland; and was part of the Netherlands…
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DerbyWheel calendar update pushes launch back to 2025
Global Keirin‘s website monitoring bot delivered the goods today, spotting a tiny but significant update to the DerbyWheel website. The Calendar page now states that regular-season racing will happen every two weeks starting ‘from the 1st half of 2025’. That’s a change from the now practically impossible second half of 2024. The same date has…
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UCI’s Lappartient bids for top IOC job
UCI president David Lappartient is one of seven declared candidates to replace Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee, in a contest which could raise various issues relevant to DerbyWheel’s plans. Bach announced in August that he would not seek to continue in office, having already served the maximum 12 years. Any such…
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Commonwealth Games decision could sway DerbyWheel prospects
With so many prospective DerbyWheel participants coming from Commonwealth countries, the fate of the 2026 Commonwealth Games could be a significant factor in any riders’ decision to quit UCI-sanctioned competition in favour of the keirin startup series. The Australian state of Victoria was chosen to host the 2026 Games, with events taking place in multiple…
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Counting the days since the last DerbyWheel news update
Every day for a number of months now, usually multiple times per day, your dedicated Global Keirin editorial team has been checking the DerbyWheel website for news of progress towards a test event, and eventual series launch. It has been a thankless, fruitless and joyless task: there hasn’t been any news published on the website…
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Standing start looms for DerbyWheel as Olympic momentum fades
Two months ago, we wrote that it had been two months since the last News update from DerbyWheel. Another two months have passed; and the last News update from DerbyWheel is still from April 2024. Things have happened since then, of course: but you probably wouldn’t know that (unless you’re following Global Keirin). James Pope’s…
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Can DerbyWheel capitalise before the Olympic flame goes out?
(EDITORIAL) Welcome to the few days every four years when the wider sporting public is exposed to the thrills of keirin racing. Is DerbyWheel ready to exploit the opportunity? Legendary gymnast Simone Biles said it perfectly, a few days ago. ‘You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at…
